


Snow fall

by SlytherinSwiftiePercabethIsOtp



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Post TLO, Pre HOO, percabeth, snow metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27132010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinSwiftiePercabethIsOtp/pseuds/SlytherinSwiftiePercabethIsOtp
Summary: The day before Percy goes missing. Takes place after tlo. Essentially just self indulgent fluff.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Snow fall

**Author's Note:**

> Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in  
> And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will  
> Skies grew darker, currents swept you out again  
> And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone

Percy was convinced he'd stolen all the happiness in the world and left none for everyone else. The sky was a bleak gray and sun struggled to free herself from the tight embrace of the clouds who wanted her all to themselves. People walked past store fronts adorned with lights, unaffected by the Christmas cheer the shops tried so hard to spread. Heads down and barely taking in their surroundings, it was a mass of joyless bodies that filled the streets of New York, that day. And yet, Percy couldn't contain his joy as he drove down the very streets he'd grown up in. Thrumming his fingers against the steering of the old Prius, he took the same path he'd been taking more and more often over the past four months; the road that lead to Annabeth's school.

As the old brownstone building came into view, simultaneously, his lips turned upward, a small quirk that meant many things but most of all warmth and intimacy. That feeling of warmth that swelled within him every time he saw Annabeth; the simple intimacy of being in love with your best friend. He pulled up in front of the large gates, and sent a text to Annabeth to let her know he'd reached. He was supposed to use the phone only in case of emergencies to avoid attracting monsters and what not, but he'd been using it quite a lot since school had started because, surely, missing your girlfriend was an emergency.

He leaned his head against the headrest, closing his eyes and listening to whatever top 40 song the radio spewed out. He was shaken out of his rapture by a sharp knocking on the window of the passenger side. He looked up and was met with that feeling of warmth, as his best friend grinned and motioned for him to open the door. She stepped into the car, after he eventually absconded from the daze he fell into on looking at Annabeth, with her hair pulled back and her eyes lit up, and unlocked the door. Every time he looked at Annabeth, he fell a little more in love with her.

"Thought you were going to let me freeze to death" she said, once she'd settled down in her seat and thrown her bag to the backseat. Percy realized with a rush that in the few seconds he'd had his eyes close, snow had begun to flutter down, gingerly as though it didn't want to hurt the earth but to envelop it in a hug.

"Would've been a good riddance" he replied, a smile dancing on his lips.

"Hey!" her voice laced with indignance.

"Hey to you too" he said, but his voice was softer, like the snow that didn't dare blemish it's love.

She turned to look at him for a moment, a wide grin adorning her face, before leaning towards him and placing her lips on his. She settled back on to her seat within a few seconds and reached out and took his hand. She pressed it against her lips, then let it fall to her lap, where she held on to it firmly.

"What's new?" Percy said as they pulled away from the manorial premises. A slight smile lingered on his lips and a light blush adorned his face. Even after months of dating Annabeth, he savored every moment like it could be his last, filing away every small detail, her smile, the shine in her eyes, the mess of curls that surrounded her face haphazardly, to ogle at, at his convenience.

She shook her head, laughing, "In the 14 hours it's been since I last saw you?"

"Yep"

"Okay, well, Melissa asked me out"

"I knew it" Percy said with conviction, "Did you say yes?"

"Shut up, I told her I have a boyfriend, who is amazing might I add, and she pulled the usual 'You're not bi, you're just seeking attention, you've never even dated a girl' bs and then told me she wouldn't date me at all because I have been dirtied by the hands of a male specimen"

"Ouch! Did you give it back to her?"

"I wish, I do not want to get suspended, even if it's for throwing hands with some biphobic bitch."

"You know what I don't get? Does she think you're going to magically get attracted to her once she discredits you. And the fact that she has the audacity to say she would never date you, after she asks you out!"

Their conversation flowed on, eventually turning to more lighthearted topics. They fell into a routine they'd rehearsed since they were twelve, one of them says something funny, the other doubles over laughing, conversing about everything and nothing at the same time with the easy familiarity they had grown to associate with each other.

The minutes seemed to hurtle past, with no concern for the laws encompassing them, and before they knew it, the two demigods had reached the small parking lot that Chiron had told them about. It was about a seven-minute walk to the entrance of camp from there, and Percy and Annabeth fell into step with each other, their fingers interlaced, as they walked the deserted road, the snow cushioning their feet.

"You want a ride?" Percy asked, when they finally reached the crest off the hill. The camp stood in the valley below, a paragon of better, happier times; ones past and ones to come.

"Sure" Annabeth responded, her smile reciprocating his own. She swung her bag over one shoulder and his over the other, before climbing onto his back. She locked her ankles around his waist, breathing in the unmistakable scent of brine and water that radiated from him. It was probably the sudden change in temperature, once they'd crossed the imperceptible veil that separated the mortal world from that of the Olympians, and less importantly Percy's childhood from Annabeth's, that took Percy by surprise and sent him hurtling down the hill and as hard as Annabeth tried, she too was sent sprawling downhill.

It was Annabeth who started it, when flat land finally broke their masquerade. At first it was a small giggle, then it grew deeper and deeper until she could no longer control it, and there sitting in the base of Half-blood hill, Annabeth was laughing and Percy was laughing and they couldn't stop because Kronos was dead and the war was over and they were sixteen and alive and school was out for Christmas and they were at camp and they had three weeks all to themselves.

Their laughter was a proper, belly laugh that only died down after at least three questioning stares, and several glances that seemed to wonder, "Are these two dummies really the ones who save Olympus?". Wiping tears from his eyes, Percy got up and reached a hand out towards Annabeth and helped her up. She dusted off her jeans and then walked over to grab their bags, which had rolled down the hill on their own. She handed Percy his, before grabbing his hand, leading him towards her cabin. As they stepped into her empty cabin, Percy turned around to look at her, his eyebrows furrowed but his eyes alight with amusement at her blatant disregard for rules.

"I'm not supposed to be here" his voice rang out against the walls of the empty room. He said it, not like he disapproved, but as though he was making an off-hand comment about the weather.

"Is that so?" 

Even as he answered in the affirmative, he settled onto her bed and buried his face within her pillow. Three months of absence had done nothing to remove the smell of the citrus shampoo Annabeth used.

He inhaled again and said, "Your pillow smells nice"

Annabeth let out a short laugh, "Okay weirdo"

She busied herself, bustling around the room, making sure no one had touched her desk, before unpacking her clothes and stuffing them into her designated drawer. It didn't take long seeing as she had most of her clothes in camp, it was only a matter of unpacking her essentials. When she was finally happy with the arrangement, she straightened up, "Alright, I'm done"

She extended her arm towards him, signaling for him to get up. He reached for her hand, and instead jerked her into the bed. Caught off guard, she fell onto the small mattress that barely fit a single person. Percy watched her, his signature smirk on his face, as she made a big show of pushing the hair out of her face and rolled her eyes. She considered reprimanding him, but then his lips were against hers and his tongue was in her mouth. His hands were everywhere at once and she couldn't get enough. She pulled back to catch her breath and found her self staring at his eyes, the same color as the ocean, and just as wondrous.

"You have really pretty eyes" she said it without thinking but meaning every word just the same.

"Aw, looks like someone has a crush on me" 

"Oh no, I have a crush on my boyfriend. How could I ever do something as despicable as this. The whole world shudders" she shot back. 

He chose to reply by kissing her and she was drawn back into the whirlpool of sensations, the act brought up. Even as she discovered every crevice of his mouth with her tongue, she became devastatingly aware of his hands that lingered so extremely close to the waist band of her leggings; of her hands, one pressed against his chest tracing secrets for only him to know, and the other laced against the strands of his hair; of their noses that fit perfectly against each other; of his leg rubbing against her own; and of the layers of clothing that separated them.

"Oh gods! Shit shit shit shit shit" a voice that wasn't either of theirs startled them into action, and Annabeth, like any sensible person, pushed her boyfriend off the bed. He landed on the floor with a thump and cursed, but her attention was directed elsewhere. She turned towards the source of the comment and found Malcom standing at the doorway, his eyes wide and his mouth turned into distasteful and slightly terrified grimace. She watched as he took a deep breath, clearly trying to cleanse his mind of the scene he'd walked in on.

"You guys are breaking the rule" he finally said

"Ah yes, the incredibly heteronormative and archaic rule. Besides we didn't break it anyway" Percy's voice called out from the floor where he lay.

"Um, it actually clearly states that a guy and a girl aren't supposed to be in a cabin alone"

"Exactly, we weren't alone, you were there!"

Malcolm paused for a minute trying to figure out if Percy was humoring him, "Yeah but you were alone before I walked in"

"How would you know, if you weren't there Mal? Annabeth, am I correct in saying that the children of Athena, while incredibly smart, are not blessed with the gift of foresight or the ability to look through walls?" 

"Oh yes" And even from his position on the ground where he couldn't see her face, Percy could hear the grin in her voice

"Whatever guys, Chiron wanted to see you both" Malcolm said, his voice deflated

———————————

It took every last ounce of self control in Percy and Annabeth to go out of Malcolm's earshot before bursting into laughter.

"I think I broke him or something" Percy said once they'd both quieted down

"You really left a child of Athena at a loss for words" Annabeth said, a giggle escaping her throat.

Percy desperately tried to keep the color out of his face as he said, "Don't I leave you at a loss for words all the time"

She turned towards him and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek, nothing more than graze of her lips against the side of his face, before interlocking her fingers with his.

"I love you" her voice was softer now, the snow that kissed rooftops, words unheard to anyone but Percy. It might seem frivolous to claim you're in love with your boyfriend of 3 months at sixteen, might seem like it's too soon, because at sixteen you think he's the one, at sixteen you think it's going to last forever, at sixteen you don't realize that you're still young and have got your whole life ahead of you to find your soulmate, because at sixteen you don't know what love is.

Except, Annabeth does. She knows she'd put his life above her own, she knows she'd stand by his side unwavering in the face of challenges, she knows she'd follow him to the deepest pits of hell if it comes to it, and most importantly, she knows he'd do the same. And there are very few certainties in the life of a girl who kept a packed bag under her bed since she was seven to run away at a moments notice, and the fact that she loves Percy is one of them. And the day he kissed her for the first time was the same day she unpacked her bag.

"I love you too" 

———————————

The air was crisp, not too cold. The fire was warm, just hot enough. Annabeth was happy, beyond her wildest dreams. The entire camp had sat around the campfire, singing songs, toasting marshmallows, and reveling in each other's company, but now they were clearing up, saying their good byes before heading towards their cabins. Annabeth sat with her body pressed against Percy's, her head resting on his shoulder. She didn't want to leave, she wanted to stay there in that moment, in a world that didn't need saving. 

But the time came all too soon when Percy shifted under her. He turned to face her and she could see he was tired. She realized with a start that he must have been trying to stay awake for her sake. The curse he bore came with its repercussions, one of which was the constant need for rest, but then again, that must be expected if you all your life force is concentrated in a single part of your body.

"We should get going" he said, brushing a single strand of hair that had fallen onto her face.

"Mmhm"

He pressed his lips to her forehead, the same spot her hair had occupied a few seconds ago.

"Good night Annabeth"

"Night Perce" she pressed her forehead against his, coming to the conclusion that she too was sleepy. He pulled back before taking her chin in her hand and pulling her face close to his. He gave her the smile she loved.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" 

She nodded in reply and he pressed a last kiss on to her forehead before heading towards his cabin. Annabeth watched his retreating figure before getting up and heading to her own cabin. Her throat's constricted and there was an ache in her chest she couldn't explain. I'll see you tomorrow. Perhaps even then she knew she wouldn't.

———————————

Annabeth woke the next to find Percy gone and in his place there's two inches of snow. Except it fell roughly in tirades and suffocated the same land it caressed so gently yesterday. And beneath all her pain and torment, some part of her registers that love is like the snow; soft and gentle one day, leaves you wanting more; falls with reckless passion the next and it hurts, and hurts, and hurts.

———————————

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr (@youcanbemytaylor) :D


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